Sample report
Not a customer file
2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE
86,420 mi · VIN ending 4821
Recommendation Negotiate
Three items to keep an eye on. None of them, alone, is a fail. Ask about the oil seep, the strut, and the camera before you agree on a price.
Pre-purchase inspections · Maintenance classes
Know the car before the money moves.
TK Auto Inspections looks at cars from private sellers, smaller lots, and franchise dealers, then writes what we find in plain language. If you keep the car, we also teach the maintenance a shop would usually just bill you for.
(647) 916-4487 · [email protected]
- GTA, Peel, Halton
- We come to the car. A hoist only if one is already there.
- $75 to $125 CAD
- Depends on where the car is, and how in-depth you want the inspection.
- In writing
- Good, keep an eye on, or fail.
On the ground, where the car sits
01 / About
Licensed mechanics, with the years to match.
Inspections are done by licensed mechanics with more than 12 years of experience, on all makes and models. The same people teach the classes.
Experience is how we know what we are looking at. The visit is still a visual inspection of that day. It is not a guarantee the vehicle will stay healthy.
- Licensed mechanics
- The person looking at the car holds a mechanic’s license. Not a checklist app, and not the seller.
- More than 12 years
- That is time on the tools, across daily drivers and the cars dealers move quickly.
- All makes and models
- Import or domestic, private sale or franchise lot. The standard does not change with the badge.
02 / Who is selling
Whoever has the title, the inspection is for you.
The same inspection, whether the seller is a person, a small lot, or a franchise store. The standard does not change because the building is bigger. We cover the Greater Toronto Area, Peel Region, and Halton Region. An inspection is $75 to $125 CAD, depending on where the car is and how in-depth you want it. The car stays on its wheels unless a hoist is already there.
Private sellers
A driveway, an apartment lot, or a public meet. You stay with the car. The seller gets a set time for the inspection, not a surprise teardown.
Useful when a person is selling the car, and you want an inspector who does not know them.
Smaller dealerships
Independent lots move cars quickly. We can look at one vehicle, or a short list, before you leave a deposit. We answer to you, not to the lot’s commission.
Useful when the price looks sharp and you still want the underbody and a road test.
Franchise dealerships
A large sign is not a second opinion. Certified and ordinary used cars get the same look: underbody, a visual inspection, a road test when it is allowed, and a report you can take back to the desk.
Useful before you sign, even when the store has already called the car inspected.
03 / The inspection
What actually gets checked.
Choose a system. This is the list we use on a pre-purchase visit. The note beside it is from a sample 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE, so you can see how a finding is written. The visit is a visual inspection of that day, not a guarantee of the car’s health.
GoodKeep an eye onFail
Powertrain
Engine, transmission, fluids, mounts, and leaks — cold and after the drive.
- Cold start, idle, and unusual noise
- Oil, coolant, and transmission fluid condition
- Leaks at the pan, valve cover, and axle seals
- Mounts and vibration under load
- Shift quality on the road, not just while parked
Sample finding · 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE
A slight oil seep at the pan. The oil is at the right level and shows no metal. The transmission shifts cleanly through every gear on the road test.
04 / Classes
Learn the work, not just the invoice.
Small groups, usually under eight. You work with real parts, and we confirm your seat after you request it.
Fluids, filters, and tires
3 hours
How to check oil, coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid, and what “due” means for a filter. Then tire pressure, tread, and changing a spare, so the first time is not on the shoulder of the road.
For New owners, and anyone who has only ever dropped the car off
You leave with A driveway checklist, plus when to add air, replace a tire, or fit the spare.
Brakes you can see
2.5 hours
Pads, rotors, and the noises that matter. You handle the parts on the bench, rather than looking at a diagram of them.
For Owners who want to understand a brake estimate
You leave with How to tell normal wear from a car you should not drive.
Fuses and bulbs
1.5 hours
How to find a blown fuse and change a simple bulb. A burned-out bulb is a small job. A warning light on the dash is not, and that is a different class.
For Owners who want to fix a dead light without replacing parts at random
You leave with Which of these you can do yourself, and when it is time to stop.
Lights on the dash
2.5 hours
What an OBD code is, what it is not, and how to avoid buying a pile of parts because a light appeared.
For Owners who have watched a warning light come on and started guessing
You leave with How to read a code without panic, and when to call a shop.
Winter preparation
2 hours
A preparation course for a Canadian winter: battery, coolant, wipers, tires, and what to keep in the car. Not a list of products to buy.
For Anyone getting a car ready before the cold sets in
You leave with A winter checklist you can work through before the first freeze.
The arrangement
We don’t sell the car. We tell you whether to buy it.
No inventory and no fee from the dealer. The written report is one part of the work. The classes are the other.
05 / How a visit goes
From the listing to a decision.
01
Tell us about the vehicle
Year, make, model, the city it is in, and who is selling it. A link to the listing is enough to start.
02
We set a time
We arrange it with you and, when needed, with the seller or the dealer’s desk. You get a set window, not a “sometime tomorrow.”
03
We inspect in person
Under the car, under the hood, and a road test when it is allowed. You can stand with us and see what to keep an eye on. The car stays on the ground unless a hoist is already there. What we write down is what we can see that day.
04
You get it in writing
Each item is marked good, keep an eye on, or fail, followed by a recommendation: buy, negotiate, or walk away. The sample on this page shows the shape of that report.
06 / Questions
Before you book the hour.
If the seller, the lot, or the store is pushing you to decide today, that is a reason to inspect — not a reason to skip it.
No. The buyer hires us. A franchise store, an independent lot, or a person in a driveway does not pay for the report and does not edit it.
Most will, if you ask ahead and book a time. We inspect the car where it sits. The store does not need to put it on a hoist for us.
We still inspect it, and the report says the road test was declined. A drive that did not happen is itself a finding. We will not guess how the car drives.
The Greater Toronto Area, Peel Region, and Halton Region. We come to the car, and it stays on the ground unless a hoist is already there. Inspections are $75 to $125 CAD, depending on location and how in-depth you want the inspection.
Plan on about 90 minutes for one vehicle. It takes longer if access is tight, or if something we see needs a second look.
For a private sale, yes. You should be with the car. At a dealer, you can meet us there or read the report afterward. We would rather have you on site, so we can show you what we found.
No. The inspection is strictly visual. It records what can be seen at the time of the visit. It is not a guarantee of the vehicle’s health, and it does not cover what happens to the vehicle afterward.
Owners who want to understand maintenance, not become technicians in an afternoon. If you are new to this, start with fluids, filters, and tires. If you already do those checks, take brakes, fuses and bulbs, dash lights, or winter preparation.
No. There is no inventory and no referral fee from a shop. The report, and the class, are the whole product.
Your name, a phone number, an email, the city, and the vehicle. Say whether it is a private seller, a smaller lot, or a franchise store. A listing link in the notes helps.
Disclaimer
A visual inspection, not a guarantee
The inspection is strictly visual. We look at the vehicle as it sits at the time of the visit. We do not take it apart, and we do not certify that it is mechanically sound.
The report is a record of what could be seen that day. It is not a guarantee of the vehicle’s health, and it is not a promise about how the vehicle will run in the future.
TK Auto Inspections is not responsible for anything that happens to the vehicle after the inspection. That includes breakdowns, wear, hidden defects, and problems that were not visible during the visit. The decision to buy the vehicle, and everything that follows, stays with you.
07 / Request
Tell us where the car is.
We cover the Greater Toronto Area, Peel Region, and Halton Region. Inspections are $75 to $125 CAD, depending on where the car is and how in-depth you want the inspection. Call, email, or use the form. It opens a message to us, not to the seller.
- The car stays on the ground unless a hoist is already there.
- Plan on about 90 minutes for one inspection.
- Classes stay small. A request holds your place until we confirm it. It is not a payment.